Lampard hails impact of Derby County youngsters

Sports Reporter

Derby County boss Frank Lampard has paid tribute to the talent coming through the Rams' youth system.

Several members of the U18 and U23 squads have stepped up to train with the first team since Lampard's arrival, with 18-year-old Jayden Bogle having gone one step further and become a first team regular at right back.

And Lampard is thrilled to have such talent at his disposal.

He told RamsTV: "The youth teams have been playing so well and winning so many games. I’m always trying to get across that myself and my staff, we are a group here.

“Whenever players are playing well and deserve to be with us or we need them, then they are with us. Tyree Wilson has been with us, Morgan Whittaker was with us a bit and Max Bird a lot as well.

“I can go on with names because they are all staking a claim, which is great. When you have regular conversations with the academy coaches and they are mentioning different names then good, get them all in and see how they react to training with the first-team.”

Lampard is keen to see Bogle's example prove to be an inspiration to others of a similar age, with Max Bird having also made appearances in the Carabao Cup and been on the bench for the Aston Villa game.

Lampard said: “They need the extra speed that the first-teamers have and the game intelligence,”

“It’s a natural progression and every step brings a promise of them and we are happy to have them.

“It’s the future of the club, we must give the young players a chance when they deserve it and I hope they come through. That’s what we are here for and you’ll never know, Jayden Bogle being a fantastic example, until they train with you how they settle.

“That’s all down to them and how they take things on board. Hopefully we will have more to come through.

“The first-teamers actually react well to having them too because they bring in the youth and the energy into the training session, which I think is good.

“Sometimes with the negative of injuries in the first-team, the silver lining in the cloud is that the young boys can come and train with us and it will be good to see.”